Craigslist as an alternate means to communicating

with native speakers

Katie Butler, jamie.k.butler@vanderbilt.edu

© Katie Butler, 2014

OutlineI. History of identity research in SLA

II. Current understandings of identity in SLA

III. ReflectionIV. Computer-Mediated CommunicationV. Final thought

I. Past theories of identity● Schumann’s

Acculturation Hypothesis (1978, 1986)

● Gardner’s Socioeducational Model (1979, 1985)

● Tajfel’s Theory of Social Identity (1974, 1981)

● Giles’s, et al, Theory of Ethnolinguistic Identity (1977, 1982, 1987)

Objections to Sociopsychological approaches● monolingualism and monoculturalism are

normal?● all language learners want to join TL group?● IDs are stable and linear?● no relationship between social factors and

psychological factors?● language learning occurs in isolation?

(Pavlenko, 2002, pp. 278-291)

II. Poststructuralist approaches...“lay greater stress on the flexibility and negotiability of identity, the ‘agency’ of the individual in choosing and negotiating their identity and above all the role of language and discourse practices in the construction of identity”

(Mitchell, Myles & Marsden, 2013, p. 276)

Bonny Norton’s Identity Theory

Identity Theory“the way a person understands his or her relationship to the world, how that relationship is constructed across time and space, and how the person understands possibilities for the future”

(Norton, 2013, p. 4)

Identity Theory● language learner is viewed in context of the larger

social world and as having multiple, changing identities

● language learners are recognized as having agency● social conditions, social contexts, and the learner’s

identity are constantly in flux● power is not equally distributed, and this affects

learner’s access to TL community(Norton, 2014, pp. 61-62)

Identity and Language Learning (2000, 2013)

Identity and Language Learning

Take-away:Language learners do not have equal access to the target language community.

III. Reflection● church: friendly couple● Walmart: employee,

cashier● ESL class: instructor● airport: World Relief staff● home: electrician● DMV: officer● Big Lots: salesman

Adult refugees’ exposure to TL community within the past week

How can an instructor improve access to the TL community for his or her adult students?

Craigslist

IV. Computer-Mediated Communication“In order for a CMC task to be successful, several questions must be answered during preparation:a. What are the learning objectives of this CMC task? (i.e., what

should students be able to do via or as a result of this activity?)

b. Which type of CMC is best-suited for achieving these objectives (and whether CMC is indeed best-suited for these objectives)?

c. What knowledge and skills do students need in order to participate in and complete the CMC task?”

(Abrams, 2011, p. 73)

A. What are the learning objectives of this CMC task?

● be familiar with online classifieds website (navigate site, read posts, research items)

● write an inquiry email

● make an inquiry telephone call

● negotiate a price● “purchase” an item● interact with a

member of TL community

B. Which type of CMC is best-suited for achieving these objectives?

● synchronous CMC vs. asynchronous CMC● “The task should also make the best use of

the application’s affordances…”

(Abrams, 2011, p. 73)

B. Which type of CMC is best-suited for achieving these objectives?

● ACMC: sending/receiving emails● SCMC: communicating on the telephone

● Affordances:emailtelephonetextimagesmapscreating posts

C. What knowledge and skills do students need in order to participate in and complete the CMC task?

“[S]tudents should have the necessary background information to be able to complete the content component of the task. They should also have the lexical and grammatical knowledge required for producing the desired output, and, not negligibly, they need to have the technical skills to participate in the CMC activity (e.g., setting up the necessary software, applications, etc.). ... If learners do not receive adequate and appropriate training, they may produce lower quality output or may be unable to complete the assigned tasks (Cornelius & Boos, 2003).

(Abrams, 2011, p. 72)

C. What knowledge and skills do students need in order to participate in and complete the CMC task?

1. Reading the Classifieds section (introduction)

2. Navigating Craigslist (writing an email)

3. Negotiating with Pawn Stars (0:27)

4. Sample telephone conversation (see handout)

5. Presentation outline (see handout)

6. Audience participation (see handout)

1. Reading the Classifieds section

C. What knowledge and skills do students need in order to participate in and complete the CMC task?

1. Reading the Classifieds section (introduction)

2. Navigating Craigslist (writing an email)

3. Negotiating with Pawn Stars (0:27)

4. Sample telephone conversation (see handout)

5. Presentation outline (see handout)

6. Audience participation (see handout)

2. Navigating Craigslist

C. What knowledge and skills do students need in order to participate in and complete the CMC task?

1. Reading the Classifieds section (introduction)

2. Navigating Craigslist (writing an email)

3. Negotiating with Pawn Stars (0:27)

4. Sample telephone conversation (see handout)

5. Presentation outline (see handout)

6. Audience participation (see handout)

3. Negotiating with Pawn Stars

C. What knowledge and skills do students need in order to participate in and complete the CMC task?

1. Reading the Classifieds section (introduction)

2. Navigating Craigslist (writing an email)

3. Negotiating with Pawn Stars (0:27)

4. Sample telephone conversation (see handout)

5. Presentation outline (see handout)

6. Audience participation (see handout)

4. Sample telephone conversation

C. What knowledge and skills do students need in order to participate in and complete the CMC task?

1. Reading the Classifieds section (introduction)

2. Navigating Craigslist (writing an email)

3. Negotiating with Pawn Stars (0:27)

4. Sample telephone conversation (see handout)

5. Presentation outline (see handout)

6. Audience participation (see handout)

5. Presentation outline

C. What knowledge and skills do students need in order to participate in and complete the CMC task?

1. Reading the Classifieds section (introduction)

2. Navigating Craigslist (writing an email)

3. Negotiating with Pawn Stars (0:27)

4. Sample telephone conversation (see handout)

5. Presentation outline (see handout)

6. Audience participation (see handout)

6. Audience participation

Task Authenticity“Students will enjoy and participate more in CMC tasks if the interactions have real-life relevance. To this end, we need to identify the authentic function(s) of CMC applications (IM, Chat room, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and find ways in which that purpose can be harnessed for L2 learning.”

(Abrams, 2011, p. 73)

V. Final thought

“Thus, pedagogical practices have the potential to be transformative in offering language learners more powerful positions than those they may occupy either inside or outside the classroom.”

(Norton, 2014, p. 65)

Works CitedAbrams, Z. (2011). Interpersonal communication in intracultural CMC. In N. Arnold & L. Ducate, Present and Future Promises of CALL: From THeory and Research to New Directions in Language Teaching (pp. 61-92). San Marcos, Texas: CALICO.Mitchell, R., Myles, F., & Marsden, E. (2013). Second language learning theories. London: Routledge.Norton Peirce, B. (2011). Social identity, investment, and language learning. In L. Wei (Ed.), The Routledge applied linguistics reader (pp. 232-247). New York: Routledge.Norton, B. (2013). Identity and language learning: Extending the conversation. Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Norton, B. (2014). Identity and poststructuralist theory in SLA. In S. Mercer & M. Williams, M. (Eds.), Multiple perspectives on the self in SLA (pp. 59-74). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.Pavlenko, A. (2002). Poststructuralist approaches to the study of social factors in second language learning and use. In V.J. Cook (Ed.), Portraits of the L2 user (pp. 277-302). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.